SA STRATEGY: CEMENT STILL UNAVAILABLE

MBABANE – Despite a move by South Africa to ease its full lockdown from this coming Friday, local hardware stores have to wait longer before importing cement.

South Africa’s president, Cyril Ramaphosa, last Thursday night announced a decision to begin a gradual and phased recovery of economic activity. 
He said the neighbouring country would implement a risk-adjusted strategy through which they would take a deliberate and cautious approach to the easing of current lockdown restrictions.
Ramaphosa introduced South Africans to what was termed five coronavirus levels.

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He said the country was currently on level five, whereby drastic measures were required to contain the spread of the virus to save lives.
From May 1, according to Ramaphosa, South Africa would downgrade to level four.

This means that some activity can be allowed to resume subject to extreme precautions required to limit community transmission and outbreaks.
With an outcry over the shortage here in Eswatini due to inability to import from South Africa, this publication has established that cement will still not be available as that country’s hardware stores will  still not open under the new regulations (level four).

This publication recently reported that some of the biggest hardware stores like Build It and Baceth Hardware had ran out of cement due to the full lockdown in South Africa and Mozambique. These two countries are a major source of imports for the local hardware stores.
Of late people are seen queuing for the limited stock in some of the hardware stores like Cash Build.

South Africa’s hardware outlets, according to the new rules, can only open in level three.
This level involves the easing of some restrictions, including on work and social activities, to address a high risk of transmission.
“Our borders will remain closed to international travel, except for the repatriation of South African nationals and foreign citizens.
“No travel will be allowed between provinces, except for the transportation of goods and exceptional circumstances such as funerals,” said Ramaphosa.

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